This invention relates to automated transaction machines. Specifically this invention relates to an automated transaction machine that dispenses notes to users and which has an internal note storage area which may be replenished without accessing the interior of the machine.
Automated transaction machines are known in the prior art. A common type of automated transaction machine is an automated teller machine (ATM). ATMs have been developed which are capable of performing a variety of transactions including the dispensing of currency notes. Other types of transaction machines dispense notes and other types of sheets to users such as bank tellers, cashiers and other service providers. Other types of automated transaction machines dispense items such as tickets, travelers checks, scrip, vouchers or gaming materials. Automated transaction machines generally dispense such materials while assessing appropriate charges and credits to the respective accounts of the user, the machine owner and the provider of the dispensed materials. For purposes of this description an automated transaction machine will be considered as any machine that is capable of carrying out transactions including transfers of value.
Automated transaction machines that dispense notes or other types of sheets representative of value are generally constructed to prevent access to the supply of sheets within the machine by unauthorized persons. In most cases such automated transaction machines include a secure chest or other secure enclosure. Access to the enclosure is controlled by a lock or other security device so that the interior thereof may only be accessed by appropriate personnel. The interior of the secure enclosure generally includes storage areas for currency notes and other types of sheets which are valuable. The storage areas are often inside removable canisters or other types of enclosures that may be readily installed in and removed from the machine when the secure area is accessed. Sheets are dispensed by the machine to users from the sheet storage areas. When the storage areas require replenishment a service person opens the secure chest and replenishes the supplies. In some cases this is done by removing the depleted or partially depleted canisters and replacing those canisters with filled canisters. In other situations it may involve inserting a xe2x80x9cbrickxe2x80x9d of currency or sheets into the canisters or other sheet storage areas to replenish the sheet supplies.
A drawback associated with the construction of such conventional automated transaction machines is that replenishing the sheet supplies requires opening the secure area of the machine. This provides the service person with access to all the valuable sheets as well as the sensitive electronic equipment within the machine. This presents opportunities for theft and tampering. When canisters are changed several individuals may have access to the canister during the times when it is being loaded, transported and installed in the machine. Likewise partially depleted canisters returning from machines for replenishment may pass through several hands. This may present opportunities for pilferage for which responsibility cannot be readily documented. Tamper resistant and tamper indicating sheet holding canisters have been developed. However such containers are not failsafe and may still be subject to compromise by skilled thieves. Sheet holding canisters may also be stolen in their entirety when in transit to and from machines. The use of currency canisters is also expensive. The use of such canisters adds to the cost of the automated transaction machines by requiring the inclusion of mechanisms that can open, close and work in conjunction with sheet containing canisters. The handling and transport of canisters also adds to the cost of machine operation.
Lower cost automated transaction machines are often installed in gas stations, convenience stores and other merchandising facilities. Such automated transaction machines often carry out only cash dispensing transactions. While the reduced capabilities of such machines results in a lower machine acquisition cost, the problems of handling sheets still exists. Because the security in such merchandising facilities is often not as high as that found in banking environments, it is not uncommon to use armored car type courier services to carry out cash replenishment transactions in such machines. This adds to the cost of machine operation.
Operators of automated transaction machines in merchandising facilities would desire to replenish the note supplies in such machines with cash that is available within the establishment. Doing this can avoid the cost of having to pay a third party to carry out cash replenishment, which reduces operating costs. However in many merchandise transaction environments the trustworthiness of the personnel may not be verifiable. As a result the machine operator may not want to give their personnel access to the large amounts of cash which are available within the interior of an automated transaction machine. Replenishing the currency supplies within such machines may be an activity limited to supervisory level personnel. However, despite such precautions shortages and discrepancies can occur. This is particularly true when several individuals have the capability of accessing the interior of a machine.
Recently automated transaction machines have been developed that are capable of xe2x80x9crecyclingxe2x80x9d currency. Such machines are capable of accepting currency notes from a user or operator, and determining the genuineness and particular type of each note. Such machines selectively store the deposited notes in locations within the machine. At a later time when the same or another user requests a dispense of notes, the machine dispenses the previously deposited notes to the user. While such machines have the capability of having the note supplies replenished without accessing the interior of the machine, such machines are generally complex and expensive. The installation of such a machine would generally not be cost justified in situations where relatively low cost, cash dispense only type machines are currently used.
There are also many other types of self service and vending machines that users operate which could be improved by adding the capability to such machines of accepting and dispensing currency notes. Common examples of such machines include motor fuel dispensing pumps, vending machines, automated ticketing machines and automated gaming machines. Often such machines already have a user interface that is capable of reading a user""s credit card. Such machines also have the capability of assessing a charge to a user""s account in exchange for merchandise or services provided. Increasingly self service machines are being provided with the capability of accepting a user""s smart card. Smart cards include a memory thereon which has data representative of monetary value. Instead of assessing a charge to a user""s account, such machines also have the capability of deducting the monetary value from the value represented by data in the memory of the user""s smart card.
Cash receiving and dispensing capability has generally not been provided in most self service and vending machines for several reasons. First, cash dispensing and accepting mechanisms have in the past generally been expensive and would render such machines cost prohibitive to acquire and operate. Second, such machines generally do not include the security features included in automated teller machines or cash dispensers, because the items generally dispensed by such machines are not readily disposed of for cash value. Another reason such machines have not been provided with cash accepting and/or dispensing capability is that to do so would require the machine operators to incur the additional costs associated with cash handling previously discussed, that are often encountered in the use of operating ATMs and cash dispensers. A further drawback has been that making cash acceptance and dispensing an integral part of such machines may limit their operation to selected hours and locations where greater security may be maintained. Thus, while users may benefit from having machines such as motor fuel dispensing pumps and vending machines accept and receive cash, providing such machines with these capabilities has been cost prohibitive.
Thus there exists a need for an automated transaction machine that is inexpensive to produce and operate, but that is also highly reliable. There further exists a need for an automated transaction machine that is capable of being replenished with currency notes or other sheets of value without having to access the note storage areas in the interior of the machine. There further exists a need for an automated transaction machine which includes a note receiving and dispensing component that adds only limited cost to the production and operation of the machine.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automated transaction machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated transaction machine which is capable of dispensing sheets having value, such as currency notes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated transaction machine which dispenses currency notes from a note storage area within the machine and which is capable of having the note storage area replenished without accessing an interior of the machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated transaction machine which includes a note supply that can be replenished without accessing an interior area of the machine and which is configurable to be replenished from either the front or the rear side of the machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated transaction machine that is economical to produce and to operate.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated transaction machine that is capable of receiving, validating and dispensing sheets such as currency notes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated transaction machine which provides for the receiving and dispensing of currency notes as a supplementary function to a primary vending or self service function that is carried out by the machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated transaction machine which is capable of dispensing notes from a note storage area within the machine and which is capable of having a note supply readily removed from the machine by authorized personnel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated transaction machine that is easy for users to operate and which provides timely promotional and other messages to users of the machine.
Further objects of the present invention will be made apparent in the following Best Modes For Carrying Out Invention and the appended claims.
The foregoing objects are accomplished in an exemplary embodiment by an automated transaction machine. The automated transaction machine may be a machine whose primary function is the receipt and/or dispensing of sheets such as currency notes. Alternatively the automated transaction machine may be associated with a primary function such as the vending of motor fuel, lottery tickets, transit tokens or other transactions and may include the dispensing and/or receipt of sheets having value, such as currency.
The automated transaction machine in one exemplary embodiment includes a machine housing. The housing includes a user interface area including at least one input device through which the machine may receive at least one input from a user of the machine. A sheet inlet opening extends through the housing as does a sheet outlet opening.
Within the housing of the machine is a note receiving and dispensing mechanism. The note receiving and dispensing mechanism is operatively connected to a sheet storage area which in the described embodiment is used for holding currency notes. The sheet receiving and dispensing mechanism includes a passage area through which sheets are passed when they are being received by the mechanism for storage in the storage area. Sheets also pass through the passage area when they are being dispensed by the mechanism from the storage area.
The described embodiment further includes a note inlet transport which extends between the note inlet opening and the passage. A note validator is positioned adjacent the note inlet transport. The note validator is operative to sense notes which are inserted through the inlet opening for purposes of determining whether the notes are valid. The machine further includes a note outlet transport. The note outlet transport extends between the passage and the outlet opening through the housing. The machine further includes one or more drive mechanisms that are operatively connected to the inlet and outlet transports and which enable the selective movement of notes or other sheets therein.
The automated transaction machine of the described embodiment further includes a controller. The controller is in operative connection with the validator and the drive for the inlet and outlet transports. The controller is also in operative connection with the input devices as well as the validator. The controller is operative to control the machine such that in response to at least one input to the input device, notes or other sheets stored in the storage area are dispensed by the mechanism and moved through the outlet transport to the outlet opening. The controller is further operative responsive to insertion of a note or other sheet to the inlet opening to have the validator determine if the inserted note is valid. If so, the note is accepted by the receiving and dispensing mechanism and stored in the storage area.
Configurations of the automated transaction machine of the present invention may provide for both receiving notes from and dispensing notes to customers while charging and crediting appropriate accounts. Alternatively embodiments of the invention may be configured for only dispensing notes to customers who operate the machine. In such embodiments acceptance of notes is limited to personnel who are authorized to replenish the machine on behalf of the machine owner or operator. Alternative configurations of the machine may provide for the note inlet and outlet openings to be positioned on generally one side of the machine, while alternative forms of the invention may provide for such openings to be on generally opposed sides of the machine. Some forms of the invention may provide for accepting sheets into the note inlet opening one sheet at a time while others may be configured for accepting stacks of sheets which are then separated, authenticated and stored within the machine.
In some exemplary forms of the invention the note receiving and dispensing mechanism may include a roll storage type mechanism. The roll storage mechanism includes a flexible web that extends between a storage reel and a take-up reel. The storage reel and take-up reel are moved by a reel drive mechanism that enables selectively moving the reels to deliver sheets to and to receive sheets from the passage area The storage and take-up reels in some embodiments are contained within a note storage module that is readily installed in and removed from the machine housing by authorized personnel. Certain preferred forms of the invention are highly reliable and yet relatively lower in cost to produce and operate.
Other preferred forms of the invention include a user interface with a display. The display is used for presenting promotional or other messages to users of the machine. These messages may be time sensitive and/or of limited duration. In preferred forms of the invention such messages are provided by interaction of the controller with a replaceable plug-in memory of a smart card or similar device. Various forms of user interfaces may also be provided to simplify and facilitate operation of automated transaction machines.